Whats the Difference bet 3w and 5w LED

My indulgence for asking a somewhat elementary question to most of you. As you can see I am a newbie. While reading the forums I have often read about a 3w and 5w LED. Whats the difference between the two? I am thinkin that the 5w is more powerful owing to its higher wattage? And what about Luxeon? Is that a brand for a LED? Then theres Luxeon I and V. Anyway I dont have a LED light yet. My two lights are the A2 and SF M6. I am planning to get me a LED light soon, and choosing between the Gladius and U2. I know the Gladius uses 3w and the U2, 5w. I am planning to get it over the weekend thus my interest on knowing what those LED numbers mean. Thanks

Chris

kukula said:

My indulgence for asking a somewhat elementary question to most of you. As you can see I am a newbie. While reading the forums I have often read about a 3w and 5w LED. Whats the difference between the two? I am thinkin that the 5w is more powerful owing to its higher wattage? And what about Luxeon? Is that a brand for a LED? Then theres Luxeon I and V. Anyway I dont have a LED light yet. My two lights are the A2 and SF M6. I am planning to get me a LED light soon, and choosing between the Gladius and U2. I know the Gladius uses 3w and the U2, 5w. I am planning to get it over the weekend thus my interest on knowing what those LED numbers mean. Thanks

Chris

Click to expand...

your going to get more throw with the gladius... the 5w's seem to spread the beam out more... the diff. between the KL3 and KL5 is that the KL3 is obviously 3 watt and has an optic to help focus the LED... the KL5 uses a reflector ...

welcome to the forums!

Luxeon is a brand name of high output LEDs manufactured by Lumileds of San Jose, CA: http://www.lumileds.com/

There are three current production Luxeon LEDs of interest to flashlight people. They're commonly called the Luxeon I, Luxeon III, and Luxeon V. They are often thought of as 1,3 and 5 watt units, with increasing light output, and flashlights using those LEDs are often labeled as 1, 3 and 5 watts respectively.

However there is an over simplification, as there's significant overlap --- a high "bin" Lux I light might produce more output than an average Lux III light.

E.g, the Lux I-based HDS EDC U60 tested by flashlightreviews.com produced more output than the 5 watt Lux V-based Nuwai TM-301X-5.

Also efficiency is a bigger issue than watts consumed. The upcoming new K2 LED from Lumileds should produce more output than a Lux V, yet consumes far less power.

Don't get overly concerned about Lux III vs Lux V, but consider the features important to you. Look at the reviews and test results from Flashlightreviews.com, combined with actual owner feedback posted here.

Luxeon I = "1W" = 1mmx1mm die (chip), rated for 350mA, typical Vf=3.4V
Luxeon III = "3W" = 1mmx1mm die (chip), rated for 700mA or 1000mA with reduced lifespan, typical Vf=3.6V
Luxeon V = "5W" = 4 1mmx1mm dies (chips) in one package in a series/parallel electrical arrangement, rated for 700mA (350mA per die), typical Vf of 6.8V - so a Luxeon V is essentailly 4 Luxeon I dies in one package.

A Luxeon I and III will have the same beam apperance given any optical system - but with the same optics, a Luxeon V will have a wider beam - and often with reflectors focused a certian way, the beam will have a "donut" appearance

Typical output for a Luxeon I is 30-40 lumens*
Typical output for a Luxeon III is 60-80 lumens*
Typical output for a Luxeon V is 120 lumens*

(*typical values are dependent on a lot of factors)

kukula said:

...choosing between the Gladius and U2. I know the Gladius uses 3w and the U2, 5w...

Click to expand...

BTW there's an ongoing group buy for the U2 in this thread:
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=94341

Thank you guys for the clear and precise and explanation. I really am learning much from you. Great site! Thanks too for the links and the tip on the group buy

Chris

Thanks from another newbie for the post and all of the replies; there's lots of great details here that don't usually show up in most discussions.

I actually have a question to add concerning the different series of Luxeons.

I've seen both Luxeon I and Luxeon III binned TY0J.
Does this mean that (assuming for a second that there is no variation within a bin) it would only take 350mA of current to illuminate the Lux I to the same brigtness as the Lux III at 700mA?

The LuxIII's have a smaller light source and typically focus into a tighter beam than the Lux V's wider source.

buymysoul said:

I've seen both Luxeon I and Luxeon III binned TY0J.
Does this mean that (assuming for a second that there is no variation within a bin) it would only take 350mA of current to illuminate the Lux I to the same brigtness as the Lux III at 700mA?

Click to expand...

The highest brightness bin that you can reasonably expect from a Luxeon I is R. These used to be very rare, but now they are more common due to improvements in Lumileds' manufacturing. Bins for the Luxeon III range from S to U, so it's possible for a very efficient Luxeon I (R***) to emit nearly as much light as an inefficient Luxeon III (S***), even when the Luxeon I is driven at a lower current. But if someone claims that a Luxeon I is binned as TY0J, that cannot be correct.

What Bin does the L4 usually get? Is a higher bin an easy upgrade? Just some soldering right?

asdalton said:

The highest brightness bin that you can reasonably expect from a Luxeon I is R. These used to be very rare, but now they are more common due to improvements in Lumileds' manufacturing. Bins for the Luxeon III range from S to U, so it's possible for a very efficient Luxeon I (R***) to emit nearly as much light as an inefficient Luxeon III (S***), even when the Luxeon I is driven at a lower current. But if someone claims that a Luxeon I is binned as TY0J, that cannot be correct.

Click to expand...

Woops, you are right, apperently I get my "T"s and my "R"s mixed up, dhurr...

Where does underdriving Luxeon IIIs fit in?

For instance, if you had a circuit that put out 350mA and had a Vf of 3.2V, which LED would be brighter (on that circuit) between a Luxeon I binned as RYOJ and a Luxeon III binned as TWOH?

Part of me thinks the Lux III would be brighter because it needs less forward voltage and is binnned "brighter" but another part says the Lux I would be brighter because it is running at a more optimal current (for that LED)

Although I don't fully understand how these regulator circuits work, so both assumptions may be false?